Costume Reveal (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: Everyone gathers for this year's Halloween costume reveal!


**Notes:** Thanks to Mari and Sammy for so many of the costume ideas.

Reader and REAL McRollers - Thanks for all your awesome support.

The costume reveal portion of the story took a little longer than anticipated, so I'm afraid you'll be getting a bonus story tomorrow to finish up the Halloween festivities. (Halloween? Afraid? See what I did there?) :-)

 **Happy Halloween! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _Costume Reveal (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

"Well, at least you're not wearing a suit," Danny said as he stepped into the beach house and was greeted by a jersey-clad Steve holding Angie who was dressed in a football costume. The toddler looked at him curiously, clearly knowing his voice but confused by his appearance.

"Daanno?" she asked.

"It's me, munchkin," he assured her. "Pay no attention to the white hair and glasses."

Beside him, Gabby chuckled, straightening the pearls around her neck.

"Ohhhh," Grace said, holding out her hands for Angie. "You look adorable, Angie!"

Danny grinned as Steve passed Angie to her. "Cutest handoff ever, right there," he said, motioning with the cane in his hand.

Angie immediately began plucking at the white and yellow papers attached to Grace's white shirt. "Bah!"

"No, those aren't balls," Grace said, gently trying to prevent Angie from ripping one off. "They're supposed to be popcorn. See I've got striped pants on for the popcorn box."

"That's awesome, Gracie," Steve said. "But I think you're going to be an empty box if Angie has her way."

As if to prove him right, Angie succeeded in pulling two of the wadded up paper "popcorn" pieces off.

"Uh oh," Grace said good-naturedly as Steve took Angie back. "That's why I brought my hot glue gun. Just in case."

"Very smart," Steve agreed, managing to get the two papers back from Angie and giving them to Grace.

"Here you go," Gabby said, pulling the hot glue gun out of her large vintage-style purse.

"Thanks." Grace looked at Steve. "I'm going to plug it in at the kitchen island so Angie can't reach it, okay?"

He nodded, smiling at her immediate thought for Angie's safety. "Okay."

"And Cammie," Grace said, kneeling by the dog whose tail wagged excitedly at the attention. "I didn't forget about you. You look adorable, too, in your referee bandana." She straightened the black and white striped bandana around Cammie's neck and kissed the top of her nose. Grinning back at the others as she stood, she gave a little wave with the hot glue gun. "Back in a minute."

Angie pointed after her as she went into the kitchen. "Ah bah! Ma bee nah!"

After Grace disappeared, Danny looked back at Steve and asked, "What's Catherine going as? The cheerleader?"

"You realize this is Catherine we're talking about," Steve said, quirking an eyebrow.

Gabby chuckled, and they all looked up at the sound of footfalls on the landing.

"Hey, you guys," Catherine said, smiling brightly. She came downstairs wearing one of her business suits.

"Ah, so now _you're_ the one in the suit," Danny observed. "I should've known one of you would be."

"Someone had to carry on the tradition," Catherine quipped, smirking at Steve.

"Mama!" Angie squealed, reaching for her.

"Hi, honey," Catherine said, settling the toddler in her arms and kissing her cheek.

"The owner?" Gabby guessed.

Catherine smiled. "Yep."

"I'd have thought you'd go as the head coach," Danny said.

"Did somebody say 'head coach'?" a voice asked from behind them.

"Apa!" Angie cried excitedly, clapping.

"We've got the head coach right here," Joseph said as he helped Grandma Ang up the step onto the lanai. Elizabeth followed right behind, all three wearing matching Chicago Bears shirts.

"Ohh, that's awesome," Gabby said as they moved so the trio could enter the house. "You've even got the headset."

"Dylan let me borrow this," Ang said, touching the headset with attached microphone that hung loose around her neck.

As they talked, Angie happily went to Elizabeth who kissed her soundly to the toddler's delight.

"Speaking of borrowing, thank you again for lending me the pearl necklace and purse," Gabby said.

"I thought those looked familiar," Catherine said with a broad smile.

Ang wrapped an arm around Gabby's. "Happy to, dear. Your hair is perfect," she said. "We could almost be twins."

Gabby pressed a hand to the underside of her tightly curled hair, styled to appear as if she had a perm. "I'm just glad you weren't offended," she said. "Us going as a … uh … older couple."

"Oh, get out," Ang said. "It's all in good fun." She smiled as she looked over Gabby and Danny's hair. "The white hair is a nice touch."

"What'd you use?" Elizabeth asked. "Hair chalk?"

"Nope, being Steve's partner has aged me in dog years," Danny said with a grin. "It finally caught up to me."

Joseph chuckled.

Steve rolled his eyes. "How long you been saving that one up?"

"A while," Danny admitted.

"Yes, it's hair chalk," Gabby said, shaking her head at their exchange. "Washes right out."

"Well, it looks great," Ang said as Gabby and Joseph helped her get settled in her favorite spot on the sofa.

"Yeah, on one of you," Steve said.

"Har har," Danny said. "At least I put some effort into my costume." He motioned to the suspenders he wore over a plaid button down.

"What are you implying?" Steve asked.

"You couldn't even bother to get a new jersey for the occasion? You wore that the last four Thanksgiving football games."

"So?" Steve said, looking down at his old jersey.

"And it's not even a Bears' jersey," Danny continued. He motioned to Ang, Elizabeth, and Joseph. "Isn't that supposed to be your coaching staff?"

"I have a very understanding owner," Steve said, wrapping an arm around Catherine who chuckled.

"No argument there," Danny agreed.

"Well, you obviously have the complaining part of your costume down pat," Steve said wryly. "So why don't you get fully into character and have a seat in the armchair while we wait for everyone else?"

"You think you're being clever, but the joke's on you because that is actually exactly what I'm going to do."

* * *

"Oh, Jane Goodall!" Elizabeth exclaimed after the Allens and Chin, Leilani, and Kono had arrived. "That's perfect."

Kaitlyn beamed. "Thanks!" She looked down at the khaki shorts and pocketed vest she wore, binoculars draped around her neck. "I wasn't sure if anyone would get it, so I brought this book I got at the Friends shop at the library." She held up a book on chimpanzees by the famous primatologist herself.

Dylan had done his big reveal, dressed as a thunderstorm. He'd rigged up a black t-shirt with LED lights to flash intermittently and wore a bike helmet covered in cotton balls dyed with gray paint.

"Impressive as always," Steve said.

"I was going to include a button to play the sound of thunder, but I didn't want Angie to be scared," he said.

Catherine smiled. "That was very thoughtful of you."

"Now who inspired whose costumes here?" Danny asked, motioning between Dylan, Chin, and Leilani.

"Dylan's was the inspiration, of course," Leilani said, dressed in a rainbow striped dress with cotton balls attached to the neckline and hem.

"But I'm the one who can actually make it rain," Chin teased, lifting his arms so that the gray strips of mylar attached to his t-shirt hung down. In one hand he held a water bottle and spritzed the side of Danny's head.

"Hey, hey, hey, watch the hair," Danny said, smoothing over the side of his chalk-colored do.

"Well, I love the bat costumes," Grace said, smiling at Casey and Kono who were both dressed in all black and had made wings from black fabric to attach to their clothes so that they spread out when they lifted their arms.

"And I love your popcorn costume," Kono returned. "That is super cute."

"Now, Jenna, I'm trying to figure yours out," Joseph said. "I thought maybe you were going for some kind of spy look with the trench coat …"

"Show' em, Mom!" Jacob exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement.

Smiling, Jenna opened the flaps of her coat to reveal a t-shirt with a beach scene on the front and dozens of seashells sewn to the inside of her coat along with a 25-cent sign above them.

"Oh my goodness!" Gabby cried. " 'She sells seashells by the seashore'!"

"That is fantastic!" Catherine said.

"I can't take full credit," Jenna said. "I got the idea online. But I decided to go with the t-shirt instead of a bathing suit underneath the coat."

"Ooooh," Angie said, toddling over to Jenna with her arms outstretched toward the shells.

Laughter echoed around the room as several tried to repeat the tongue twister that had inspired Jenna's costume aloud.

Cody laughed at Dylan's attempt, his hands going to his waist pushing the open button down he wore over a t-shirt and cargo pants to the sides. Danny blinked, shaking his head in realization.

"I thought you weren't wearing a costume, Cody, but all of the sudden you look a lot like …"

His eyes shifted to Steve who said, "And you call yourself a detective. Maybe that hair chalk soaked into your scalp."

" _Steve_?" Danny exclaimed.

Cody shrugged. "Easiest costume idea yet."

"Hey, hey, sorry I'm late," came a voice from the doorway. "But the festivities can begin now."

Jadon strolled in wearing black pants and a striped button down shirt with a tie. He stood next to Cody and smoothed down his tie, nodding to his best friend. "Hey, partner."

"Wait, wait, wait," Danny said, waving his hands in front of himself. "If Cody's dressed as Steve, that makes you–"

"How do I look, D-Dawg?" Jadon said, smiling broadly.

"You're _us_?"

"I ran it by Steve," Cody said.

"Well, nobody ran it by me," Danny said. "Wait, is that my shirt?"

"Oh, that was an inside job," Jadon said, winking at Grace who grinned back. Danny stared at her incredulously and she shrugged.

"I've been looking all over for that," Danny said.

"Fits pretty good," Jadon went on, plucking at the buttons. "Had to wear my church shoes, though. How do you wear these all the time? Don't they pinch your toes?"

"No, they don't pinch my toes, I–" He stopped. "You're really dressed as me?"

Jadon stepped over to him and draped an arm over his shoulder. "Yep. It's a compliment, man."

Danny chuckled, looking him up and down. "That's actually a pretty good look on you."

Jadon grinned. "Does that mean I can keep the shirt?"

"Not a chance."

* * *

"Where's Jacob?" Steve asked as everyone who was planning to trick-or-treat around the neighborhood gathered their things. "Let's get this show on the road."

"He's in the bathroom," Cody said.

"I can't believe he wore his minion costume again. He's always been pretty adamant about not repeating costumes. Honestly, that's the only reason I haven't gone as Maxwell Smart every year."

"Yeah, but he always loved minions so much," Cody said with a shrug. "I guess once he finally dressed up as one, he didn't want to move on just yet. Luckily the overalls he got last year were pretty big so they still fit."

"Jacob, you changed your costume," Kono exclaimed as he emerged from the hallway. Heads turned in his direction. His family, minus Cody, exchanged knowing looks.

"The minion costume was a trick," Jacob said, shifting the backpack on his shoulder. " _This_ is my real costume." He stood proudly in the middle of the living room and let everyone take in his costume.

In addition to the backpack, he wore jeans and sneakers, a Honolulu Community College t-shirt that was obviously big on him, a Hawaii state flag pin, and a "Hello, My Name Is" nametag with "CODY" written in black Sharpie marker.

"Jake … what …?" Cody began, his voice trailing off.

"I'm you, Cody!" Jacob said. "I got my backpack 'cause you're a college student, and a flag pin 'cause you work for the governor …"

"You–" Cody shook his head. "I don't understand …"

Jacob looked up at him. "You dressed like your hero for Halloween, so I decided I would, too."

A chorus of "Awwws" filled the living room. Jenna sniffed, swiping at a stray tear on her cheek.

"I … I wasn't really …" Cody began. He glanced at Steve who flashed a quick smile. "Well, I guess I kind of was." He looked back to his brother and took a step toward him. "All the Halloween costumes you could have picked, and you wanted to dress like me?"

"Yeah," Jacob said simply.

Cody ruffled his hair and wrapped an arm around him. "That's … that really means a lot, Jacob. Thanks." He pulled back to arm's length. "Let me get a look at you." His brow furrowed. "Hey, I've been looking for this shirt …"

"Welcome to the club," Danny threw in, nudging Jadon who laughed.

"Well, are we ready to trick-or-treat now or what?" Steve said. He grinned at Jacob. "Any more costume changes?"

Jacob laughed. "Nope. Let's go!"

"Go!" Angie echoed.

"You heard her," Danny said with a smile. "Let the trick-or-treating begin!"

* * *

 **Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow!**

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